Sports

Man Utd Vs Liverpool Is A Fascinating Contest

Published

4 years ago

August 20, 2022

Manchester United’s fascinating home game on Monday night pits them against a Liverpool side where manager Jurgen Klopp has problems which almost match those of Erik Ten Hag.

Both sides are looking for their first win of the season. Training has been difficult for Liverpool this week with injuries mounting up.

Klopp said, “The week was crazy. It was like we had a witch in the building. Every day somebody else pulled out for the craziest reasons.”

We were all surprised when Klopp introduced Nat Phillips to play alongside Virgil van Dijk against Palace. He did well after Joe Gomez picked up an injury in training and could only play off the bench in the second half. Joel Matip will be out for another couple of weeks and Ibrahima Konate is likely to be out for a while longer. Trent Alexander-Arnold is not in particularly good form but I understand both he and Andy Robertson will play against United with Kostas Tsimikas coming off the bench. Klopp is aware that Cristiano Ronaldo will likely play for United despite all the problems surrounding him and Van Dijk will be given the job of containing the Portugese, particularly in the air. In midfield Harvey Elliott was very good against Palace and he will retain his place however Naby Keita is pressing for a starting role and he is likely to replace James Milner for either the whole match or at least part of it. Klopp, like Ten Hag, has problems in attack. Salah and Diaz will certainly start but Jota’s hamstring injury rules him out and Nunez’s red card means he misses the next three matches. That is a positive for United and Liverpool’s medical team have been working hard this week to get Bobby Firmino fit so they have a strong attacking three against United’s fragile defence.

The toxic atmosphere spilled over to Manchester United’s training camp again this week. After the disastrous thrashing by Brentford Ten Hag called the players in early each day and started by playing videos of Liverpool, picking apart their strategies and player positions during each match they have played so far. Ten Hag’s problem is that he does not know and cannot guess accurately how Liverpool will line up because of the injuries at Anfield. One thing is sure, Ten Hag was horrified at how new Ajax £50million signing Lisandro Martinez was turned inside out by Brentford and his 5ft 9in frame was bullied by the opposition forwards. Ten Hag knows that playing him against Diaz could be disastrous and it is his biggest problem after his weak attacking line. That is one reason Ten Hag is thankful Nunez will not be on the pitch however Raphael Verane is being pencilled in to bring stability to the backline. Verane is viewed as the best defender at the club and despite his injury problems this season he could answer some of United’s defensive problems. United have a far better record with him in the team. Despite Verane’s lack of fitness and Martinez’s poor performance, Ten Hag is considering dropping Harry Maguire and making Verane and Martinez his two central defenders however I know for sure that Ten Hag is an admirer of Maguire and is considering this option very carefully.

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With the towering presence of Van Dijk in the Liverpool defence, Ten Hag has to improve his midfield and the quality of balls fed into the Liverpool penalty area. Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen, who will be moved forward in a more attacking role, will be crucial in placing precise balls from deep play into the Liverpool backline which Ronaldo thrives on. Fred is fast but constantly being outplayed and McTominay is below form. Sancho will be important for United and he needs to feed balls to Rashford and Ronaldo and this is the way they have trained this week…United are strong on the counter-attack. They need to be patient and organized which has been another main aspect of training. They must defend as a unit and not play as individuals which often happens. Without doubt United’s best chance is to drive at pace from the counter-attack…they are very good at it and Liverpool will be vulnerable.

Gerrard has big problems in defence

I contacted Aston Villa regarding the injury to Diego Carlos and the news is not good. Carlos, who joined Villa from Sevilla for £26million has ruptured his achilles tendon. He left Villa Park on crutches and on Monday had an MRI scan which revealed the damage. Surgery is inevitable and Carlos could be out of action for six months. Manager Steven Gerrard has a problem at the back with Kortney Hause also on the injury list which means he has only three senior centre halves in contention for a place: Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers. Gerrard has expressed that he is “extremely worried” about the injuries at the club.

Manchester City have come up with the perfect way of keeping their star players. Barcelona have been trying to unsettle Bernardo Silva so they can bid for him. Knowing that Barca have financial problems, City have placed a value of £80million on the midfielder which the Spanish giants could not possibly afford to pay. City travel to Barcelona to play a charity friendly this coming week and Silva will play to demonstrate that he is very much are part of Pep Guardiola’s starting eleven.

Chelsea still want Everton’s Anthony Gordon

Chelsea are going to review their offer for Everton midfielder Anthony Gordon despite being rejected twice by The Toffees management. Everton manager Frank Lampard admits he must not lose Gordon who is essential to his plans and with the season just beginning results are not going their way. I understand that the only way Gordon could end up at Stamford Bridge is through a possible deal which would involve bringing in two Chelsea players: Billy Gilmour and Armando Broja. Newcastle and Tottenham made approaches for Gordon a month ago but Everton offered him a new improved contract which has not been signed as yet.

Werner and Lukaku make winning starts

Timo Werner scored on his return to RB Leipzig in his first game in the Bundesliga. Romelu Lukaku had a good game and scored for Inter Milan during his first game back in Italy in Serie A. It is interesting that they couldn’t score in the Premier League with any certainty and yet they hit the ground running in returning to their roots. What this proves conclusively is that the Premier League is a far tougher test than other European Leagues. Opinion: Managers should be able to comment on refs It always amazes me that players and managers are not allowed to comment on the conduct and quality of referees after a match. Thomas Tuchel is the latest to face possible financial penalties and a touchline ban for saying he believes Anthony Taylor should not be allowed to referee any more Chelsea matches after some highly controversial decisions. The FA takes a very dim view of a manager expressing his thoughts. Two things come to mind in my view…firstly in the UK we have a constitution which champions freedom of speech so who are the FA to overrule a basic right and secondly isn’t it interesting that Tuchel’s view has been supported by more than a hundred thousand people who have signed a petition which carries the same message as Tuchel?

Daily Trust

Sports

CAF Suspends Two Super Falcons Stars Ahead of Decisive Egypt Clash in WAFCON 2026

Published

10 hours ago

August 3, 2026

Trends Admin

CAF Suspends Two Super Falcons Stars Ahead of Decisive Egypt Clash in WAFCON 2026

Defender Oluwatosin Demehin and midfielder Jennifer Echegini will miss Nigeria’s must-win final Group C match against Egypt at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after being suspended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following disciplinary incidents in the victory over Zambia.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons will be without two key players for their crucial final Group C match against Egypt at the ongoing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) handed suspensions to defender Oluwatosin Demehin and midfielder Jennifer Echegini. The suspensions stem from disciplinary incidents during Nigeria’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia on Saturday, a result that revived the nine-time African champions’ title defence after a shock opening defeat to Malawi.

Demehin will miss the decisive fixture after receiving a straight red card in the 40th minute of the Zambia match. The centre-back was sent off for bringing down Zambia captain Barbra Banda as the striker raced through on goal during a dangerous counter-attack. The dismissal forced Nigeria to play with 10 players for more than 50 minutes, but the Super Falcons defended bravely to protect their slim lead until the final whistle. Echegini, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, will also be unavailable after receiving a yellow card during the same contest. The booking was her second caution of the tournament, triggering an automatic one-match suspension under CAF’s disciplinary regulations.

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The suspensions come as Nigeria seek victory against Egypt to boost their chances of reaching the quarter-finals. The Super Falcons bounced back from their opening 3-2 defeat to Malawi with a determined win over the Copper Queens, but the victory came at a significant cost. Asisat Oshoala scored the only goal in the eighth minute before Nigeria were forced to play with 10 women following Demehin’s dismissal. Despite Zambia’s numerical advantage for most of the contest, the nine-time African champions held on to claim all three points. With two rounds of matches completed, Malawi lead Group C with six points, while Nigeria and Zambia have three points each. Egypt remain without a point, leaving qualification for the knockout stage to be decided in the final round of group fixtures. The final round of Group C matches will be played on Wednesday, with Nigeria facing Egypt knowing victory could secure a place in the knockout stage, while Malawi take on Zambia in another decisive fixture.

Beyond the two confirmed absentees, captain Rasheedat Ajibade faces a different concern. Should she receive a yellow card against Egypt and Nigeria progress to the knockout rounds, she would be suspended for the first knockout-stage match, adding another layer of caution to Nigeria’s approach to the game. The absences of Demehin and Echegini will test the squad’s depth and put pressure on head coach Justine Madugu to reorganise ahead of a match Nigeria must win to advance. Demehin’s absence could prompt Madugu to reshuffle his backline after the defender had played a key role in containing the dangerous Barbra Banda before her dismissal, while Echegini’s suspension reduces Nigeria’s midfield options for the decisive encounter. Despite the double blow, the Super Falcons will be encouraged by the resilience they showed against Zambia, where they protected a one-goal lead for more than 50 minutes with a numerical disadvantage to reignite their title defence. The nine-time African champions have once again demonstrated their ability to grind out results under pressure and will be eager to maintain that momentum against Egypt.

CAF Suspends Two Super Falcons Stars Ahead of Decisive Egypt Clash in WAFCON 2026

Sports

Nigeria Shines in Commonwealth Games, Tops Africa with 10 Gold Medals

Published

12 hours ago

August 3, 2026

Trends Admin

Nigeria Shines in Commonwealth Games, Tops Africa with 10 Gold Medals

Nigeria delivered one of its finest outings in Commonwealth Games history, finishing as Africa’s undisputed sporting powerhouse after clinching 24 medals to place seventh overall at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Team Nigeria contingent returned home with 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals, comfortably emerging as the highest-ranked African nation and securing a place among the world’s top seven teams at the Games.

The final medals standings, released on the official Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games X handle after the close of competition on Sunday, confirmed Nigeria’s remarkable performance behind only Australia, England, Canada, India, Scotland and New Zealand.

Nigeria’s campaign gathered momentum after Esther Nworgu won the country’s first gold medal in the women’s lightweight para-powerlifting event.

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The gold rush continued with Ezekiel Nathaniel’s victory in the men’s 400m hurdles, while Goodness Nwachukwu produced one of the defining moments of the Games by breaking her own world record to win the women’s F42 discus throw.

Idris Riluwan also struck gold in the men’s para-powerlifting event, while Chukwuebuka Enekwechi etched his name into history with a landmark triumph in the men’s shot put.

Despite battling injury, world record holder Tobi Amusan showed remarkable resilience to claim a bronze medal in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Australia dominated the Games with 171 medals, including 70 gold, 45 silver and 56 bronze medals.

England finished second with 110 medals (29 gold, 45 silver and 36 bronze), while Canada placed third with 62 medals made up of 19 gold, 20 silver and 23 bronze.

India and hosts Scotland completed the top five with 39 medals each, with India taking fourth place on the strength of a superior silver medal tally.

New Zealand finished sixth with 36 medals (10 gold, 14 silver and 12 bronze), narrowly ahead of Nigeria, whose 10 gold medals ensured it finished above every other African country.

Jamaica placed eighth, Wales finished ninth, while Malaysia completed the top 10.

South Africa ended 11th with 28 medals, ahead of Northern Ireland in 12th, while Kenya finished 13th.

Cyprus, Mauritius, Cameroon, Jersey, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Fiji also featured among the leading nations.

Among the remaining African countries, Uganda, Namibia, Ghana, Lesotho, Zambia and Gabon all finished on the medals table, underscoring Nigeria’s dominance on the continent.

Nigeria Shines in Commonwealth Games, Tops Africa with 10 Gold Medals

Sports

Super Falcons bounce back as Oshoala sinks Zambia despite red card

Published

2 days ago

August 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Asisat Oshoala

Super Falcons bounce back as Oshoala sinks Zambia despite red card

Nigeria’s Super Falcons returned to winning ways at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia in their second Group C match in Rabat, Morocco.

The defending champions produced a determined response following their disappointing 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening fixture, with Asisat Oshoala scoring the only goal of the match in the eighth minute.

Nigeria were forced to defend their narrow advantage for more than half of the encounter after defender Oluwatosin Demehin was sent off in the 40th minute following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review of her challenge on Zambia captain Barbra Banda.

Despite playing the entire second half with 10 players, the Super Falcons remained disciplined and organised to secure three important points and revive their campaign. (Confédération Africaine de Football)

The victory was particularly significant for Nigeria, who entered the match under pressure after their unexpected opening defeat to Malawi.

The Super Falcons needed a positive result to strengthen their chances of progressing from Group C and keep their pursuit of a record-extending 11th WAFCON title on course.

Head coach Justine Madugu restored Oshoala to the starting line-up, and the experienced forward made an immediate impact.

Nigeria made a bright start and broke the deadlock in the eighth minute after Oshoala latched onto a long pass from midfield and used her pace to get ahead of the Zambian defence.

The forward broke into the penalty area and attempted to beat Zambia goalkeeper Hazel Nali. Although Nali stopped the initial effort, the rebound ricocheted off Oshoala and rolled into the net to give Nigeria an early lead.

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The goal gave the Super Falcons confidence and provided the ideal response after their difficult start to the tournament.

Nigeria had beaten Zambia 5-0 in the quarter-finals of the previous WAFCON, but the latest meeting proved to be a much more demanding contest.

The Super Falcons’ task became significantly harder shortly before halftime when Demehin was shown a straight red card following a VAR review.

The referee ruled that the defender had committed a serious foul while challenging Zambia’s influential captain, Banda.

The dismissal left Nigeria with 10 players and forced the team to adjust its approach for the remainder of the match.

Zambia increased the pressure after the restart and enjoyed more possession as they searched for an equaliser.

The Copper Queens pushed forward through Banda and fellow attacking players, but Nigeria’s defence remained compact and continued to limit clear scoring opportunities.

Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie also delivered an important performance, making key saves and helping the Super Falcons preserve their slender lead.

Nnadozie had faced criticism following the defeat to Malawi, but her display against Zambia provided a strong response as Nigeria secured their first win of the competition.

The goalkeeper appeared emotional after the final whistle as the Super Falcons celebrated a result that could prove decisive in their bid to reach the knockout stage.

Madugu also made tactical adjustments during the second half, introducing fresh players, including Chinwendu Ihezuo, to strengthen Nigeria’s defensive shape and provide additional energy.

The Super Falcons showed resilience, tactical discipline and determination as they resisted sustained Zambian pressure until the final whistle.

The result breathed new life into Nigeria’s WAFCON title defence and left Group C open heading into the final round of group-stage matches.

Nigeria are the most successful team in the history of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, having won a record 10 titles. The Super Falcons are seeking an 11th continental crown at the 2026 tournament, which is being staged in Morocco from July 26 to August 16. (Confédération Africaine de Football)

The 2026 edition is the first WAFCON tournament to feature 16 teams. The competition also carries added importance because the four semi-finalists will qualify automatically for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, while the fifth-placed team will advance to an intercontinental play-off. (The NFF)

The Super Falcons will now turn their attention to their final Group C match against Egypt, with another positive result expected to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.

Nigeria will also have to prepare for the fixture without Demehin, who is expected to serve a suspension following her red card.

For the Super Falcons, the victory over Zambia was more than just three points. It was a statement of resilience after the disappointment against Malawi and a timely boost for their hopes of defending the WAFCON title.